Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1887-06-30
TINY STAGE STARS.
HOW CHILD ACTORS ARE OBTAINED
AND TAKEN CARE OF.

AMI iHhcN OHf1G Vt.
A Hundred Children for Spectacular
RECOMMENDATIONS with the Mothers
of the Wee Ones-Scared Before the
Public.
Show do you get the little PROFESSIONALS
asked the reporter. He was talking with
Mrs Fernandez, who trains children for the
stage, and whose daughter, the dark eyed,
dark haired Bijou Fernandez, is the star
child of the profession
GBy the best way of securing anything one
wants-advertising in the newspapers. 4
short time ago l wanted 100 children TO ap-
pear in the Fall of Babylon at Erastina,
from June to September. They'll live there
with nurses whom l have engaged TO look
after them, and will have a grand time
romping over the ground when they're not in
the spectacle. They'll have a summer in the
the country, lots of fun, and make money be-
sides l advertised for children TO 90 on the
stage at the time was put in charge of the
child department Of this production, and I
must have had 500 applications. Anyhow,
the line of mothers and children extended
down the two flights Of stairs from my office
to the street and around the corner. Even
farmers from Long Island and New Jersey
came with their children"
MAKING A SELECTION.
@How do you select from so large num-
ber!"
Usually ] make a general selection by
questioning the children-such of them are
old enough to falkland finding out if their
hearts will really be in their work. If find
that the little ones are frightened at the idea
of going on the stage, and would have to be
forced by their parents, have nothing more
to do with them. But it rarely happens that
a child doesn't want to go on the stage On
the contrary, children as a rule are delighted
with the idea Having made general selec-
ton, by questioning them on these points,
taking also looks into consideration, appoint
a time for further trial. l car soon tell if
there is any good material to work on. The
names of those have thus selected go down
in my address book. When send children
out with travelling companies, 1 also try to
secure engagements as super ladies for their
mothers or elder sisters"
HArent many of the children young
Booths and Andersons in their mothers esti-
mationp
~Oh, yes. Many mothers bring to me chill
dren they call natural born actors. For such
have little use They have been drilled at
home to recite mechanically. want children
who are natural-who have children's emo
tions. don't even teach my children elocu-
ton l first teach them to carry themselves
gracefully and then to go through the bust
ness required of them naturally and easily"
what ages have the chIdren on your llst!"
Il take them as young as months, because
always like to have two good babies on my
1isf hah I ot
years, and the highest limit is IA years"
"Don't their theatrical surroundings make
children lock upon lie as artiiciali7
Sometimes. l can tell you one or two in
stances which are amusing and yet pathetic.
One little boy, who was taken to the seashore
for the first time last summer, turned to his
mother as he saw the waves rolling in and
said: How do they work themF Another
child, little girl, exclaimed, on looking out
upon country landscape for the first time,
on awakening after a nights journey:
Mammal mammal the stage is set for the
first act.'n
NEVER BECOME PROMINENT
sAre stage children apt to develop into
prominent actors and actresses?"
Rarely. They seem to grow tired emotion
ally and to lose their sparkle and vivacity.
Ny Bijou shall never become an actress un-
less she shows great talent after she has
passed into womanhood. If she gives prom
ise of securing leading place she may go on
the stage-not otherwise. can imagine no
life more wretched than that of mediocrity
on the stage"
"How did you hit upon the idea of training
children for the stagep
an my own stage experience l had OBJ
served that the engagement and training of
children gave managers SO much trouble that
they often put aside good play because it
called for child or children. You see, if
they wanted even only few children they
had to advertise and then make selections
from 100 applicants or more, each ac-
companied by mother who considered her
offspring a budding genius. The trouble
wasn't over, either, when the selection had
been made. In fact it had just begun. Ac-
tors and actresses grumbled at rehearsals
because they were delayed by fractions chill
dren. Then at the performances things
would go wrong, because the children that
had been good at rehearsals would get scared
when they faced the public. But the mothers
were far worse than the children. and man
ayers dreaded them far more. First of all,
the mothers insisted on coming to rehearsal
What a racket they raised when the stage
manager had to talk sternly to an offspringl
Then they all came behind the scenes at night
during the performance and crowded into
the first entrance, so that they could see some
thing of the play from ii. Fancy an actor or
actress trying to effect an entrance or exit
through the first entrance when some fifteen
mothers are jammed into it."-New York
Sun